Department of Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas has announced plans to construct and rehabilitate approximately 1,017 public toilets in its attached agencies, including airports, seaports, and train stations nationwide.

The plan is in line with PNoy’s “Kayo ang Boss Ko” principle in putting the people’s welfare and convenience first.

“We want to restore the pride and dignity of Filipinos, starting with the very basic needs –provision of clean and functioning public toilets,” Roxas said. “These restrooms will subscribe to a common design standard of cleanliness and functionality, less the ‘frills and drama’ of five-star toilets.”

At present, agencies under the DOTC have a total of 1,224 public toilets. Under the DOTC program, 786 of these will be rehabilitated, while 231 new ones will be constructed.

Roxas also said to reduce the cost of building these toilets, the DOTC is resorting to bulk purchases. Instead of awarding the project to just one contractor, it will be bidded out into several lots, allowing more suppliers to participate in the procurement.

For instance, the project will have a package for major fixture, where providers can bid to supply the urinals, water closets, lavatories, and faucets needed for the toilets. This package alone enables the DOTC to reduce the cost from P66.6 million to P40.1 million.

The biggest savings the DOTC is looking to get from this bulk system procurement of is the civil works: from P396 million to P160.7 million. The P396 million was based from past civil works done on individual public toilets in DOTC offices.

“In the past, civil works for construction of toilets cost P35,000 per square meter. But because we are using bulk purchase for this project, civil works were reduced to about P18,000 per square meter,” Roxas said.

He added: “This is an exemplification of the ‘Matuwid na Daan’ that this government stands for – providing much-needed facilities to the people, without wasting their money.”

Roxas said it’s about time the government comes up with toilets that the public can enjoy using. “Toilets are often the most ignored component of government facilities. It’s as if, for the longest time, the public was expected to ‘act like cattle’ when answering the call of nature,” he said.

Roxas added that what is important is that they are functioning and equipped with the basics like water, soap, and tissues.

“Most important of all, the facilities will be clean and well-maintained,” he said. “These restrooms will have the same ‘look-and-feel’ of clean public toilets in Singapore.”

He said: “These toilets will be an example of the administration’s drive to make the people feel they are the ‘true bosses’ of the government. What better way to give them the dignity they deserve than giving them something as basic as a clean toilet?”